Counting the Cost
by Zanza8
Summary: Epilogue to Episode #576 Season 18. Doc comforts Kitty after her assault.
1. Chapter 1

Doc sat next to the bed, holding Kitty's hand until she closed her eyes. He waited, and when she didn't move or speak again he started to get up and was startled when she gripped his hand fiercely. "Don't go, Doc."

The old man sat down again. "I'm here, Kitty. I'll be right here as long as you need me."

Kitty closed her eyes again. "I hope Matt kills him."

"Bonner?" She nodded and Doc said quietly, "He won't."

Kitty's eyes opened. "You sound very sure of that."

"I am sure," said Doc more quietly still. "Festus went with him. He's not going to let Matt kill anybody if he can help it."

Kitty looked bewildered. "Doc, Festus is the last man in the world to stop Matt over something like this." She rolled her head from side to side on the pillow, tears running down her cheeks. "Remember Mayblossom?"

Doc leaned over and wiped her face. "I'll never forget."


	2. Chapter 2

_Doc heard a familiar jingle of spurs on the stairs, then the office door opened and Festus stuck his head in. "You busy, Doc?"_

_ "Yes."_

_ The hillman came in and closed the door, then pulled off his hat. Turning it in his hands, he said softly, "I just come to say goodbye."_

_ Doc looked up sharply. "What are you talking about?"_

_ Festus turned his hat some more. "I'm leavin' Dodge, Doc. Leavin' for good."_

_ "Because of the trial?" Festus nodded. "But you were acquitted!" _

_ "I wuz found not guilty too." The hillman's voice was low. "I figger it's time I wuz movin' on. I just didn't want to go 'thout sayin' goodbye." He reached for the doorknob._

_ "Now wait a minute." The old man ran a hand over his face. "Sit down, Festus. Tell me what this is all about."_

_ "Ain't nothin' to tell." The hillman's voice was low but he sat down. "Town life ain't for the likes of me. I knowed that from the start but I thought mebbe I could make a place for myself here..." _

_ Doc went over to his medicine cabinet and got a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. He poured the drinks, handed one to Festus and sat down. "Festus, you're not making any sense."_

_ Festus took a big swallow of whiskey and sighed. "Doc, when I first come back and heerd what that feller done to Mayblossom...well, I don't never remember bein' so mad in my whole life. Not even after Fergus died. At least he wuz a growed man, not a spindly little gal that never did no harm to nobody." He drank some more whiskey. "It wuz like I had blood in my mouth. I went out and found that Lon and then I waked him up and plugged him before he could even get his gun out."_

_ Doc pushed his glass around his desk. "Nobody is blaming you for that, Festus."_

_ The hillman raised his head. "I ain't blamin' myself neither! I'm glad I done it and I'd do it again in a minute." His voice fell. "I just didn't know I had it in me to bushwhack a feller that way. I ain't sayin' that's the first man I ever killed...I ain't sayin' that...but it's a diff'rent thing killin' somebody in a fair fight, Doc." He finished his drink and Doc poured him another. "Much obliged." Festus took another swig while the old man waited for his friend to go on. After a moment the hillman said slowly, "First I wuz mad and then it wuz over...and then Cousin Feeder showed up and Mayblossom wanted him 'stead of me..."_

_ "I thought you didn't want to get married," said Doc._

_ Festus smiled a little. "Oh, I didn't, Doc. Don't go to mistakin' me. I wuz real happy for them both. Still, it's one thing to make up yore mind 'bout a gal and it's another to have her make it up for you."_

_ Doc smiled back. "I think I know what you mean." _

_ The hillman sighed. "Then I wuz in the jail waitin' for the judge and I finally had some time to think 'bout what I done...I ain't sorry for it. Not in the least...but I never knowed I had it in me to kill somebody cold like that." His soft hazel eyes were troubled. "And now it's on me for the rest of my days and I s'pose I got to answer for it sometime..." Festus finished his whiskey and stood up, putting on his hat. "I got to be goin', Doc. Sure has been nice knowin' you." _

_ Doc thought frantically. "Well, Festus, if you don't care who you hurt I suppose nothing I can say will change your mind." _

_ Festus frowned. "What do you mean, who I hurt? I ain't hurt nobody that I know of."_

_ Doc stood up, scowling. "Matt's been a good friend to you. So has Kitty. They care about you and now you just want to take off and never see them again. Maybe to you that's not hurting somebody. Maybe you just don't care about anybody at all."_

_ The hillman's eyes flashed. "That ain't so! I care a whole heap 'bout Matthew and Miss Kitty! I might even care 'bout you if you wuzn't such a dad blamed mean old scamp!" He saw the concern on Doc's face and the anger died out of his own. "Doc, I cain't stay here now. I just cain't."_

_ The old man swallowed hard. "Will you do something for me?"_

_ "What do you want?" _

_ "If you go...and maybe you're right about getting away for a while...will you give me your word you'll come back?" Festus' eyes widened and Doc said hastily, "Take as much time as you need, Festus. I just don't want you to leave thinking you'll never come back." _

_ Festus hesitated. "It might be a long time before I come back."_

_ "Just give me your word that you will." Doc held out his hand._

_ It was a long moment before Festus said haltingly, "I give you my word." His hard brown hand reached out to clasp the doctor's soft white one and they shook once, then Festus turned and left, closing the door softly behind him._


	3. Chapter 3

"Doc, I never knew," whispered Kitty. "Was that the time Festus was gone for so long? It must have been almost three months."

Doc nodded. "Eighty-nine days. Then he came back and we never talked about it again." The old man cleared his throat and went on gruffly. "You don't want Matt carrying something like that around. Sometimes I can still see the pain in Festus' eyes..." He fell silent and Kitty squeezed his hand.

"You really are the most terrible old fraud, you know," she murmured, smiling a little.

Doc smiled back. "And you need to get some sleep so you can look your best when Matt gets back."

Her eyes filled with tears again. "Doc, I'll never look my best again. I'll never look like anything but a..."

He cut her off. "Kitty, you're a beautiful woman. Nothing could change that, and I'll tell you something else nothing could change. You're a woman who is loved. I love you, and so does Festus, and Matt loves you the most of all. We love you and we need you and the only thing that matters to us is that you get well and strong again."

Kitty shook her head helplessly. "I'll never be the same."

Doc took a deep breath. "No, I don't suppose you will." Their eyes locked and he went on very gently. "When something like this happens it changes a person. You won't be the person you were before, but I know you well enough to be sure of one thing, Kitty. You're not going to let this beat you. You're going to be as fine and caring and beautiful as you ever were..." Tears stood in his eyes now and he dashed them away and held her hand tightly. "And the only thing that will change between you and Matt and Festus and me is that we'll love you more than ever...because we almost lost you." His voice broke and Kitty tugged at his hand.

"Doc, don't..."

The old man cleared his throat noisily. "I'm getting too old for all this excitement."

A shadow of amusement crept over the fear and pain in Kitty's eyes. "Doc, you'll never be too old. Why, if I was twenty years younger I'd ask you to marry me."

Doc laughed through his tears. "If I was a hundred years younger I wouldn't wait for you to ask. Now will you let me give you something to help you sleep?"

Kitty took a deep breath. "You won't leave?"

"I won't leave. At least, not until a certain tall marshal gets back."


	4. Chapter 4

Matt hurried up the stairs and let himself softly into Doc's office. There was no one there and he went on to the bedroom to find Doc sound asleep in the chair next to the bed. Kitty's eyes were closed too and the marshal studied her face. Bruised as it was, it was still beautiful enough to make his heart skip a beat as it had done all those years ago when he first saw her, and he knelt by the bed and whispered, "Kitty?"

She opened her eyes and turned to him. "Matt?" Her voice was husky with emotion and she reached for him with tears in her eyes. "Oh, Matt!"

He put his arms around her, carefully, and held her as close as he dared, his eyes wet. "Are you all right?"

Kitty clung to him. "I am now."

Doc stirred, then sat up straight. "Matt!"

The marshal looked anxiously at his old friend. "Is she really all right?"

"Well, of course she is," said Doc, smiling. "In fact, I'm planning on sending her home in a few more days. I might need this bed for somebody who's really sick." Matt smiled with relief and hugged Kitty gently again and Doc asked quietly, "Bonner?"

The marshal's face darkened and he let go of Kitty, straightening the blanket. "I'll tell you outside, Doc."

He started to stand up and Kitty grabbed his hand. "No, Matt. I have a right to hear what happened."

Matt looked at Kitty, his eyes unreadable. "Bonner and his men are in the jail."

Kitty shuddered. "You didn't kill him?" Matt shook his head and she said softly, "I wish you had but I'm glad you didn't."

A muscle jerked in Matt's face but his voice was calm. "I would have but Festus stopped me."

Kitty's eyes met Doc's and the old man got up and said, "Matt, I've been listening to this young lady snore all day. I think it's your turn now." The marshal took the chair and Doc asked, "Where's Festus?"

"At his place. You'd better go check on him, Doc. He was in a lot of pain on the way back."

"I told him not to go in the first place but he never listens to a word I say," grumbled Doc. "He's a stubborn mule and he never thinks about what's best for him."

He left muttering to himself and Matt asked, "Kitty, is there anything I can get you?"

Kitty curled up on her side, holding Matt's hand with both of hers. "I have everything I need right here, cowboy."


	5. Chapter 5

It was a week later and Kitty was back in her own bed above the Longbranch when she heard a familiar jingle of spurs outside the door. "Festus, is that you?"

"Yes, ma'am," the deputy answered. "Is it all right if'n I come in?"

"Of course." Festus opened the door and Kitty gasped. Like herself, he still bore the marks of his encounter with the dog soldiers. His arm was in a sling and his face was pale, but his eyes brightened when he saw her.

"Miss Kitty, I just couldn't let one more day go by 'thout comin' to see you." He had a mug in his good hand and he set it on a dresser, then brought a chair over to the bed and sat down. "Are you feelin' better, are you?"

Kitty smiled and nodded. "I'm feeling better, Festus. What about you? You don't look so good yourself, you know."

"Well, I will have to say I warn't feelin' so pert but I'm all right."

Kitty gently touched his bad arm. "Doc told me that happened when they were trying to make you talk." The deputy fidgeted, embarrassed, and Kitty's eyes filled with tears. "And you rode with Matt anyway..."

Festus stood up and got the mug he had brought. "Now, Miss Kitty, that's all past and done. What you need to do now is get your strength back. I brung you some beef broth..."

"Beef broth!" Kitty perfectly imitated the scandalized tone Festus always imparted to those words and they both laughed. The deputy handed her the mug and she drank it down, then lay back against the pillows. Festus took the mug over to the dresser, then came back to the bed and tucked the blankets closer around her. "Now what you'd ort to do is get some sleep. Sam had to go run some errands but I'll be right downstairs till he gets back if'n you need anythin'."

"All right." Festus turned to go and Kitty caught his hand. "Festus, how can I ever thank you?"

Their eyes met and for an instant she saw a shadow of pain in his, then he said gruffly, "Fiddle, it's just a little broth."

"I know," said Kitty softly. She held onto his hand and a tear slid down her cheek. "It's just...it was the best broth I've ever had in my whole life."

Festus swallowed hard. "Well, it was a pure pleasure to brang it to you." He brushed away the tear, smiling his sweet smile, and left.

Kitty curled up under the blankets, listening to the jingle of his spurs lose itself in the sounds from the Longbranch. Doc had brought her a telegram from Matt that afternoon. Bonner and his men were in the jail at Hays City, awaiting trial. They would go to prison for the rest of their lives if they were lucky, or hang if they weren't. Kitty didn't care one way or the other-they just didn't matter. Two of the three men she loved were here in Dodge and the one she loved the most would soon be home. She had no idea what the future would bring, but as she drifted off into a dreamless sleep she was certain of one thing. Festus, Doc, and Matt-as long as she had them she could face anything.


End file.
